Play the Game
by Masika
Summary: I'm not sure how this'll turn out, but I gave another try at a WakkaxLulu fanfiction. This one is a different style and a bit more sudden, but anyway. Look at the title and add that to the only game in Spira, and you get what the story is about.


Play the Game  
  
  
  
I gasped as Wakka was hit by the blitzball, again and again. He had taken so many beatings I had lost count. What was he thinking? He could have left anytime, placed Tidus in as his replacement.  
  
Oh. That's right.  
  
We haven't been back very long. Tidus must just now be getting into the arena. I winced as Wakka, once again, took a blitzball in the chest while protecting the goal. Idiot!  
  
I had had enough. Standing, I raced along the path of stairs from the stadium in Luca as fast as the fans and my restricting skirt would allow. I skid around several corners, knowing that I should be there when Wakka was removed at half-time. He wouldn't be able to make it through another Blitzoff, and that meant one hell of a headache when he actually woke up. And THAT would not be pretty.  
  
I flung the double doors before me dramatically open. I'm sure I looked like a lost lover pining for her betrothed after she's heard he's been lost in a battle with Sin. Pathetic, isn't it?  
  
No matter how melodramatic I looked, I felt that I should at least comfort Wakka some. He would kick himself in the pants if he were left alone long enough to think he wouldn't be able to play in the next half. Wakka could be as dumb as Tidus was. With one difference: Tidus wasn't dense.  
  
I entered the locker rooms with a well concealed flourish. I seemed to look dramatic wherever I was, whether I was dully lecturing Tidus on the ways of Spira or I was casting Ultima. I tried to hide it so they could get Wakka safely laying down before I made my move.  
  
My move? What am I saying? I only wanted to help the man. I know what people think of me. Cold. Made of ice. Uncaring. Well, what do they know?  
  
Well. . .what do I know?  
  
I suppose I am made of ice. But Wakka holds a fire spell in his hands, and has been melting my harsh exterior since childhood. It started that day, when I discovered I had magic. I had watched, fascinated, as my father competed in a friendly, local game of Blitzball. I kept thinking how unfair it was, just because I was little and a girl, they wouldn't let me play. I've always wanted to play Blitzball.  
  
I asked the men if I could take a shot at it. I loved my father, very much, but he was a firm believer that women could do nothing. He laughed a little when I asked, and I had run off crying. I was so upset, I. . .  
  
Well, I electrified the water.  
  
None of the men were seriously injured, but I was punished deeply for it. My father feared magic and would have none of it that his own daughter would possess any magical gifts.  
  
Wakka had come to me that night, bringing me a Moonlily, all the way from the Moonflow. His family had just come back from a trip there. We left my house when no one was looking, sneaking out through the window, and stared at it's glow in the moonlight near the beach. I couldn't stop thinking about how my anger had gotten away with me, and I promised then, in front of a glowing flower that seemed to be from heaven, never to let any person see my true emotions again.  
  
Wakka wouldn't have anything of it.  
  
He's teaching me to be free of a cold, hard shell. He's teaching me that love comes in many shapes and sizes, and you can even love your enemy. I don't understand that one, but Wakka said something about it being a type of "anti-love, you know?" yet still a form of love. The man confuses me.  
  
Back to the present. I walked silently over to the bench Wakka was lying on, his breathing ragged. I couldn't blame him. Hit by a blitzball, so many times. . .the man was insane. Plum crazy, he was.  
  
I sat down and took his head into my lap. His eyes shot open in an instant, and he regarded me curiously. I rubbed his hair a little.  
  
"Lu?" he questioned.  
  
I shook my head. I didn't feel like speaking. So, instead, I only held him some more. He nodded a little, closed his eyes, and decided to get comfortable. Inwardly I groaned. This man would never change, would he? He was like Tidus so much. Immature. Irresponsible. Carefree. Slightly bubbly.  
  
Fun.  
  
I hated that. Why couldn't I just be like them? Because I have to be the responsible one? We have Auron for that! But. . .I can't change or deny what I am. I can't smile in times of need, can't laugh when trouble is around.  
  
I'm like a cold blooded fish out of water, I mused while holding Wakka. My mood changes with the situation that is abound. I've spent my entire life trying to get into water, to play. Have fun. Like Wakka, Tidus. Oh, Yevon. I envied them.  
  
Tidus barged in on our little scene, but he also barged in on my silent reverie. I shot him a death glare. He grinned at me.  
  
"Wakka," Tidus began. "They want you back out there."  
  
Wakka looked up at Tidus in surprise from my lap. He stood shakily. I quickly tossed him several potions, hoping they would help. He smiled at me, feeling a little better.  
  
Tidus nodded his encouragement and sat down next to me on the bench. Wakka tossed me a lopsided grin as he stood up and left for the blitzball dome.  
  
And the second half of the game commenced.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
"We won! Woo HOO!"  
  
I rolled my eyes a little, watching Tidus freak out at the Aurochs' victory. Of course I was happy, but I didn't really feel like going bonkers. Honestly.  
  
Wakka walked over to me smiling. Auron had also pulled off a small quirk of his lips. I decided I would make an exception for guarding my feelings (I had already broken my promise to myself many times due to Wakka anyway) and let a grin show. Tidus clapped me back, knocking my breath out of my body promptly without him even noticing.  
  
"That's the spirit!" he cheered me, his grin widening. I let a small laugh escape, which might as well have been rolling on the floor in gales of laughter for me. Tidus looked at me like it was, anyway. I suppose I need to laugh more often.  
  
An enormous party was thrown that night in the heart of the stunned Luca. The town had indeed not expected the Luca Goers to lose, but I had. They didn't know my Wakka.  
  
. . .MY Wakka? Where in Yevon's name had THAT come from?  
  
Well, I knew Wakka would win the game, anyway. The Goers had no chance against him. No chance at all. Wakka put too much of his heart into everything he did, except being a guardian to Yuna. And that would change as soon as the tournament was over. . .well, now.  
  
Yes, it was indeed over now. Wakka would once again be devoted to his new, and yet old, duty.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
Day fell away into an endless abyss as night and shadow took over Spira. I gazed at the stars, reminiscing the days I had had with Chappu and Wakka. It had been so fun, the three of us. But we were children then. No more.  
  
I felt an arm on my shoulder as I gazed at the Blitz arena. I turned to see Wakka, standing next to me and observing the arena with as much interest in it's architecture as I appeared to be showing. I chuckled a little at that thought.  
  
Wakka grinned at me, knowing that when I was alone (or with him) I would often laugh at nothing, merely my own thinking.  
  
"Blitzball holds a lot of power, you know? Without Blitz, the people or Spira wouldn't have anything to keep 'em from their troubles, ya? Spira depends on us as much as they depend on summoners."  
  
I looked at Wakka. It was unusual for him to think so deeply when thinking wasn't required.  
  
"In a sense, yes," I responded.  
  
"I think you could use a little Blitz, Lu."  
  
"Me? I prefer to deal with my troubles."  
  
"Not this time, ya? You're gonna forget for a while."  
  
"Wakka, don't be --"  
  
I yelped at Wakka picked me up, my sentence cut off. He jogged with me in his arms all the way to the Auroch's locker room, apparently looking for something. I had no idea what was going on, so I sat dumbly on the bench he had put me on. After hunting around for several minutes in what I could only guess to be a horizontal closet, he pulled something dark out and threw it at me.  
  
I barely caught it before it whacked me on the nose. I looked at it curiously, stretched it out to better discover what it was. It was a blitzball uniform. My eyes grew wide as I looked it over. It wasn't an Auroch's uniform, as they obviously weren't built for women. It had a fair amount of straps around the midsection, and I liked that. It reminded me of my belts. The uniform was black, too, which helped.  
  
"Well, what are you waiting for? Try it on, ya?" Wakka told me.  
  
My eyes got wider still as I looked at him. "You can't be serious."  
  
He rolled his eyes at me a little, just enough so I would catch it. "I'll put it on you if you don't go try it on," he said, his tone harboring a notch of sarcasm.  
  
Knowing Wakka, I doubted he would do it. But, knowing Wakka, this is me. I figured he would try anything with me. I decided not to test out my theory and hurried into another corner of the locker room, out of Wakka's line of vision. Why they had no individual changing rooms is beyond me.  
  
"Men," I muttered grumpily as I started to slip my dress off.  
  
"What was that?" Wakka asked.  
  
"Nothing," I called back out, my tone a bit reprimanding.  
  
He didn't bother to hide his laughter. I scowled and continued putting the uniform.  
  
When I was done, I pulled all of the ornaments out of my hair, so that on the top half was braids and it lay back naturally. I tucked the edges behind my ears and walked out of the corner, dress under one hand. I ignored Wakka's eyes on my hair and the rest of me.  
  
"You let your hair down," he said simply, still staring at me.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Woo," was all he said as he followed me out back into the hallway.  
  
"Now, what are we going to do now that I'm in this thing?" I asked, fiddling with one of the straps at my waist.  
  
"Isn't it obvious, Lu?" he asked, and as we reached the end of the hallway, he gestured grandly to the Blitzball arena. I think my heart skipped.  
  
"You want me...to play...blitzball?"  
  
He grinned and tugged at my arm. "Uh-huh."  
  
"O-okay," I stammered, and I felt like a...well, a girl. Aloud and expected to be immature.  
  
We wound our way across the chairs and steps of the stadium. Wakka led me over to the area that is usually guarded by other blitzball teams (usually the Ronsos) to keep other people out, but was the entrance to the blitz arena. He threw me in before I knew what was happening.  
  
I barely had time to take in a quick shot of air before I went under. My head surfaced out of the little passage that, just a few feet away, became the giant sphere of water. I looked at Wakka.  
  
"You should use your magic to keep some air in your lungs," he told me, and I nodded. There wasn't exactly a spell for this kind of thing, so I decided to make one up. I gathered a little bit of power in my hands and swallowed it. That's not as bad as it sounds, as long as it's soft power. I still wanted my stomach when we were done.  
  
Gasping, I realized I couldn't breathe. Wakka shoved me under, and I felt fine. He followed me and my puzzled gaze to the blitz arena. I supposed I had turned myself into somewhat of a fish, since I couldn't breathe above the water now. I only hoped I could remember how to undo the spell when we finished.  
  
The sphere was much bigger than I had anticipated. I didn't know if I had the muscles to swim once across, much less play a game. I glanced at Wakka. He smiled but only let me to the center of the sphere, where a blitzball had just gotten launched up. I guessed Wakka set that up before we got here.  
  
He grabbed the ball and swam over to me. Of course I know how to play Blitzball, I motioned to him. I had been watching him play since he was four. I knew how.  
  
He nodded and immediately broke past me, heading for what I gathered to be my goal. I would have yelped if I had been above water, but I wasn't, so instead I shot off as fast as I could go after him. I surprised myself with my speed, but I doubted I could keep it up long.  
  
I smashed my shoulder into his back when I reached him. He spun around, and I dove under his shoulder, grasping the ball in my arms. Being more slender than Wakka was had it's advantages.  
  
I used the speed I had discovered just a moment ago and launched myself back toward his goal, dodging his attempts to grab my waist. It was only his next try that he hit home, and I was squirming in his arms, desperately trying to keep the ball of my side. I gave a watery laugh. This was fun!  
  
I broke loose and swam even faster for his goal. Wakka was hot on my heels, and I tried to increase my pace even more, though it didn't work very well.  
  
I loved the competition. When I wasn't scolding him I acted my age around Wakka. I felt like laughing all the way across the sphere, and I would have, if it hadn't been for the restricting waters around me.  
  
As I drew back my arm to shoot for Wakka's goal, I felt his arms around my waist. I turned, preparing to struggle, and I got loose a little bit. I realized that Wakka wanted to keep me there, but not for the game. What did he want?  
  
I met his almond eyes as his fingers brushed my cheek. My stomach must have flipped over. I decidedly blamed it on the magic I had swallowed earlier. He grinned at me.  
  
He kissed me.  
  
I couldn't blame the magic on THAT, now could I? My eyes widened as his lips worked over mine. Then they closed, and I smiled. I had always loved him, I just didn't know what kind of love it was. I still don't. But now I have a pretty good idea.  
  
I pulled back a little, gave him the devil's own grin, and tossed the Blitzball behind my shoulder and into his goal. He growled at me, determined to take the lead. The game continued.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
I sloshed out of the blitz arena, trying to undo the fish spell I had eaten. Wakka sat down behind me and smacked me a good one on the back, and I coughed, hiccupped, and a little bubble slipped past my lips. The magic was in it.  
  
Wakka laughed so hard he fell over at the comical scene. I blushed, feeling like I had eaten soap. I was sure I looked that way, too.  
  
"It isn't funny," I insisted.  
  
He looked at me like I was crazy. I chuckled.  
  
"Okay, maybe a little," I admitted.  
  
He smiled and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, drawing me in close. I smiled when he rested his chin on my head, just holding me. I pressed myself against him as much as I could, my back to his chest. We stayed like that, just thinking, for what must have been at least fifteen minutes.  
  
"You lost," I said with an evil grin after our silence.  
  
"I let you win," Wakka responded gruffly. I laughed.  
  
"If you say so," I responded with mock skepticism. Standing, I dragged him by the hand back to the Auroch's locker room. I was sure all of the others were asleep by now. The moon was well beyond the center of the sky, so it must have been past midnight. The air and wind that swept around us was warm, however. I reveled in it as I walked.  
  
Tugging Wakka through the doors, I retrieved my dress and returned to the corner I had changed in last.  
  
"No peeking!"  
  
"I know, I know," he said impatiently, thinking I had slipped back into "Normal Lulu" mode. I rolled my eyes at the thought. He was definitely in for a surprise. Smiling, I began to unravel the carefully woven braids. It was hard, diligent work. I hadn't realized that the braids in my hair were so small or so many. Finally, I got all of them out and held a strand of raven hair before me. It had a sufficient curl to it, and I smiled again.  
  
I left my little hideaway corner with my hair flowing far down my back and across my shoulders. Wakka eyed me ever more so than when I had emerged from that same corner a mere three hours before. I laughed.  
  
"Ready to go?" I asked.  
  
"Are you going to keep your hair like that?" he asked me in slight awe. I wasn't sure if he had ever seen me with my hair completely unbound, but I also wasn't sure why it stunned him so much. I was just happy it did.  
  
"For a while. I'll need to replace the braids when we continue, but we should remain in Luca a week or so. I'll leave it down until then."  
  
He grinned at me. "I can live with that."  
  
I walked out of that locker room with the blitzball uniform Wakka had given me secretly tucked underneath my arm. He didn't realize quite how happy I had been that I had been given a chance at something I was raised thinking only men could do. It was more than happy. I was thrilled and wanted to it last longer than forever.  
  
"Wakka?"  
  
"Ya?"  
  
"I think I'll do what the rest of Spira does from now on," I said slowly.  
  
"What's that?" he asked, wanting to hear it from me, wanting me to admit it even though he knew the answer.  
  
"I think I'll play the game."  
  
  
  
*Fin*  
  
  
  
A/N: Sudden ending. Sorry about that! This came just as easily as Tremble and Spin did, but Tremble and Spin was a miracle for me. I've never written like that before, and I was really lucky I did. Thanks for the reviews on it! ^_^ My Aurikku didn't turn out very well either, but I wanted to try! *shrugs* I'll leave those to the pro's. *admiring, misty eyes* It's SO hard to get Auron in character...*grumbles*  
  
Anyway! I figured that Lu should get to have SOME kind of fun, right? She is always...well, she's underneath a mask of harsher emotions. Sorta. I figured that it'd be perfect to have Wakka teach her blitzball, but I'm terrible at blitzball and it made a lot more sense that she'd know how to play it, so I went with that. I hope you liked it! ^.^ -Masika 


End file.
